The Horcrux
by JasonMorganfan87
Summary: Takes place before sixth year. Voldemort learns the truth of where his connection to Harry comes from. What will he do now that he knows Harry is a horcrux. The same as with his other horcruxes of course. He will protect him at all costs.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters. **

**The Horcrux**

Lord Voldemort stood in Malfoy Manor surrounded by all of his followers. He had summoned everyone to reveal startling information he had just learned. "My faithful servants. Today is the day! Today is the day we take the final step in crushing Dumbledore and his band of heroes."

There was a chorus of applause and cheering.

Voldemort put a hand to stop them. Naturally, it had its desired effect. "You may be wondered how I intend to do this. First let me ask if any of you know what horcrux is?"

Most looked confused, but there were a few who showed a face of recognition.

"For those of you who don't know, it is a person's way of becoming immortal. It involves splitting one's soul and putting the pieces into objects. You see, in my youth, I created several Horcruxes. Seven to be exact," Voldemort told them.

Many of the death eaters looked shocked to hear this, but didn't say anything in fear of what would happen to them.

Voldemort ignored them. "Of course the seventh horcrux was completely by accident. I did not intend to make the last, nor did I intend for it to be who it was."

This time, no one could keep the gasps from their lips. Even those who'd heard of horcruxes had heard of a human host for one.

"That's right, my friends. I have created a human horcrux. Of course, not all of him is a horcrux. Just a small piece of him. A tiny part of him, say a scar," Voldemort said.

Another collection of gasps was heard, this time louder than the last.

"Yes. My seventh horcrux is no other than Harry Potter. It seems that when the killing Curse rebounded onto me and destroyed my body, a piece of my soul landed onto him. It was quite unexpected. It changes things quite a lot. I am sure you all know what we must do now," Voldemort said.

"Kill the boy!" one yelled.

Voldemort pointed his wand at the man and yelled "_Crucio! _Goyle, you moronic buffoon! Have you lost whatever brain cells you actually possessed?!"

Goyle was bent over and screaming in pain.

Voldemort held the spell for about a minute before ending it. "When a bridge stands between you and greatness, do you tear it down? No, you use it. When you are in a duel to the death, do you break your own wand? Of course not! No, Harry Potter will not die. He will never die, for his death would be one step closer to my own downfall."

"But, My Lord, if you didn't intend to make the boy what he is, surely it wouldn't be a big deal if you were destroyed," another death eater said.

"_Crucio!" _Voldemort chanted. "Nott, if you found a sack of gallons on the ground, would you toss it away just because you didn't mean to find it? No, you would keep it. You would use it to expand on your wealth. It is the same principle. Potter is no longer an enemy. He is an asset. He is something to covet and protect. He is invaluable."

Lucius Malfoy stepped through the crowd a little. "My Lord, surely Dumbledore knows of this development."

"Of course he knows," Voldemort said with mild irritation at his servant for stating the obvious.

"But then why protect him to such degrees. Why not get rid of the boy?" Lucius asked curiously.

Voldemort smiled evilly. "Because the old fool wasn't expecting me to find out. He probably planned for me to kill the boy himself, after getting rid of the rest of my horcruxes of course. He probably would've considered it to be delicious irony. But once again, I have ruined the old man's plans. Harry Potter will not die."

"But what if he learns that we know. He'll kill the boy himself," Crabbe said.

Voldemort growled in irritation. "Do you really think I'm stupid enough to allow Dumbledore continued access to my most prized possession?! Do you take me for a fool?!"

"N…no, My Lord. Of course not," Crabbe said backing up.

"Potter will not spend one more night under Dumbledore's influence. The boy has a part of me in him. That makes him mine, and tonight, I will take back my property," Voldemort said with a smirk.

"How shall we accomplish this, My Lord?" Lucius asked.

"It is quite simple. Through our mind connection, I was able to conclude that Harry Potter lives with his muggle aunt and uncle," Voldemort said in disgust. The idea of his property being with muggles infuriated him. How dare that old man give muggles what rightfully belonged to him?

"But there must be some protection in place," Rabastan Lestrange said.

"Oh, indeed there is. Blood wards that protect him against those wishing him harm. However, I no longer with him harm. There should be no trouble in taking the boy. Tonight I will go and retrieve my horcrux from Dumbledore myself," Voldemort said.

"What of the order, My Lord?" Severus asked. All the while, he was trying to figure out how to prevent this. He had been as shocked as the others to learn that Potter was a horcrux or even that the Dark Lord had made any. If Dumbledore had known about it, which seemed likely, he hadn't shared that information with him. It made him wonder if the Dark Lord was right. Did Dumbledore plan for the Dark Lord to kill Potter?

Severus shook those thoughts aware. He could question the headmaster on that later. Right now, he had to find a way to thwart the Dark Lord's plans.

"Ah, yes. Dumbledore's cronies. That is where you come in, Severus. You are of course technically one of Dumbledore's people, however traitorous you might be. You shall offer to take over watch of the boy tonight. That is when we will strike," Voldemort said.

"Of course, My Lord," Severus said. He was actually grateful that it was going this way. Now he would have time to warn Dumbledore to move the boy before it was too late.

"Go now," Voldemort ordered.

Severus nodded and disapparated.


	2. Chapter 2

Severus went straight to Dumbledore's office when he got back to Hogwarts. He entered the office and found the man sitting at his desk.

"Ah, Severus, you're back. Lemon drop?" Dumbledore asked.

"No, I do not want a bloody lemon drop! We must talk immediately," Severus said urgently.

Dumbledore's face became serious. "Did you learn something of importance, Severus?"

"Oh, you could say that. Tell me, Headmaster, did you know that the Dark Lord had little pieces of his soul lying around?" Severus asked.

Dumbledore looked shocked. Not at the fact that Voldemort had horcruxes. He'd deduced that already. No, he was surprised that Voldemort had shared this information with his followers. "He told you?"

"I'll take that as a 'yes'. And did you also know that one of those pieces lies within Potter?" Severus asked.

Dumbledore's eyes nearly bugged out of his head with horror. Voldemort couldn't know that. That was the last thing in the world they needed. Merlin only knew what he would do if he knew. "Tell me he doesn't know that."

"You knew. And you didn't think to share such information?!" Severus asked angrily.

"It was need to know," Dumbledore said simply.

"I needed to know!" Severus exploded. "How am I supposed to fulfill my promise to protect the boy if I don't know these things? Or is that the point? Do you not want Potter protected?"

"Of course I want Harry protected, Severus? How can you even ask that?" Dumbledore asked.

"You want him protected now, but for how long? Until the Dark Lord's other horcruxes are destroyed?" Severus asked. As hard as he tried, he couldn't get the Dark Lord's words out of his head. Did Dumbledore really want to save Potter or was he just waiting for the right moment to sacrifice him?

Dumbledore sighed. "Eventually, a sacrifice will have to be made. Voldemort will have to kill Harry in order for us to finally stop him."

"Well, that won't happen. The Dark Lord no longer wants Potter dead. As his horcrux, he sees Potter as something that belongs to him and something he must protect at all costs," Severus told him.

"I was afraid of something like that. The good of the world depends on Voldemort's horcruxes being destroyed," Dumbledore said.

"And you intend to destroy it by destroying Potter himself," Severus guessed.

"It is my belief that he wouldn't have died had Voldemort delivered the spell to kill him and Harry allowed him to do it. The blood protection would not have allowed it. However, if Voldemort won't kill him…"

"You will. And that protection will no longer apply," Severus finished for him.

"I have no choice," Dumbledore said.

"No choice but to kill a child? What kind of choice is that? Who are you to even make such a choice?" Severus asked. He couldn't condone this. Potter was a child. He was an arrogant, self-centered child, but he was a child nonetheless. How was he supposed to stand by and let him be murdered?

"Severus, surely you don't think I want Harry dead. If I could avoid it I would, but it seems unavoidable. Voldemort cannot be destroyed unless all of his horcruxes are also destroyed,' Dumbledore explained.

"There must be another way to destroy it," Severus said.

"There isn't. The only way to destroy a horcrux is to destroy the object it's bound to," he said.

"But Potter isn't an object, he's a human being!" Severus yelled.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Why, Severus, is that concern I hear?"

Severus glared. "You're talking about murdering a sixteen-year-old boy. Lily's sixteen-year-old boy! Of course I'm concerned!"

"Sacrifices have to be made in war, Severus. It's for the greater good," Dumbledore said as if that made it okay.

"That's funny, Headmaster. You refuse to kill a single death eater or allow any of the order to."

"They can be redeemed, Severus," Dumbledore interjected.

"Yet, you're willing to flat out murder a child whose only fault is his arrogance," Severus said in disbelief.

"Because there is no choice. That horcrux existing within Harry will link Voldemort to this world. It must be destroyed. First, however, we must destroy the other horcruxes. I've already begun searching for them. In the meantime, we must keep Harry safe," Dumbledore said.

"Keep him safe so you can kill him later. Yes, that makes perfect sense," Severus said sarcastically.

"When does Voldemort plan to go after Harry?" Dumbledore asked. He knew of course that Lord Voldemort would still want Harry. The only difference was that his goal would be to capture instead of kill.

This was where Severus knew he was supposed to tell the headmaster the Dark Lord's plan, but somehow, he couldn't get the words out. Maybe because telling him would be the beginning of the end of Potter. To some, Dumbledore's speech about the greater good would be enough to allow him to kill Potter, but he wasn't one of them. Forget that Potter was a child that had done nothing to deserve death. He was _Lily's_ child. Severus had promised on her grave to protect her son. How could he now lead him to his death?

Severus considered the alternative. That didn't seem very promising either. The Dark Lord was never going to let Potter go. The boy would never be free again. To most, that would be a fate worse than death. It certainly would be to Severus. Living with the Dark Lord, never able to leave his home, that was truly his worst nightmare. He would rather be dead.

However, Potter was different. He was deemed by the Dark Lord as untouchable. He would not be cursed or tortured. He would never be free, but he would live. In the end, that had to be enough for Severus. He made a promise to Lily and he had to keep it, even if it meant he was never rid of the Dark Lord.

"Next week. He plans to move next week," Severus finally said, lying through his teeth.

Dumbledore nodded. "Good that gives us time. We shall move Harry tomorrow. I'll call an order meeting for tonight. In the meantime though, Harry must be protected. Since you already know everything there is to know, I'm going to need you to watch over Harry tonight."

Severus could hardly believe it. He didn't have to ask. He didn't have to convince the headmaster to assign him Potter detail. He'd already ordered it. It was as if fate was telling him that this was the best course of action. "Of course, Headmaster."

"Good, you should get ready," Dumbledore said.

Severus turned and walked out of the room, realizing all too well that in the course of a twenty minute conversation, he'd switched sides.


	3. Chapter 3

Later that night, Severus was stationed across the street from the Dursley home under a disillusionment charm so that muggles couldn't see him. His 'colleagues' would be able to when they showed up, but no one without magic could.

Severus was waiting for the Dark Lord and many of the other death eaters to arrive. He could still hardly believe this was happening, that he was even letting this happen. But Dumbledore was giving him no choice. When he first joined Dumbledore, he did it because he wanted to protect Lily's son. It was quite ironic to think about actually. He joined Dumbledore to protect Potter from the Dark Lord. Now he was rejoining the Dark Lord to protect Potter from Dumbledore. If the situation weren't so strange and unnerving, he'd probably laugh.

Severus was pulled from his thoughts as several death eaters apparated in front of him. Lucius approached him. "Hello, Severus. Everything under control? Did the old man suspect anything?"

Severus shook his head. "No, Everything in fine. Dumbledore has no idea what is happening tonight."

"Good," a sinister voice said from behind.

Severus turned to see the Dark Lord behind him. He immediately bowed his head. "My Lord."

"Tell me who is inside, Severus," Voldemort ordered.

"Potter is there with his aunt, uncle, and cousin," Severus answered.

"Muggles," Voldemort spat in disgust. "Alight, Severus, you will keep watch. The rest of us will go in now. Do what you want with the muggles, but no one lifts a hand or a wand against my horcrux."

"What if the boy attacks, My Lord?" Nott asked.

"If you can't protect yourself against a sixteen-year-old wizard without harming him then you are an idiot and you deserve whatever he can do to you," Voldemort said before heading for the Dursley home.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Harry was currently in the kitchen cooking dinner for his relatives. Since as long as he could remember, he was given the task of cooking meals, as well as every other household chore they had.

"You'd better not burn that chicken, Boy!" Vernon snarled as he walked into the kitchen.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon. You fat old lump," Harry said under his breath.

"What was that, Boy?" Vernon asked angrily.

"Nothing, sir," Harry said quickly.

Vernon glared at the boy for a moment and then walked away.

Harry went back to cooking the food he wouldn't get to eat. The Dursleys rarely allowed him to eat the food he cooked. If he got to eat, he was given a few scraps that wouldn't sustain a cat.

Harry had just turned off the stove and was putting the pieces of chicken on a plate when heard a loud crash, followed by his uncle's loud voice.

"You're one of those freaks, aren't you? Get out of my house, you freaks! Your kind isn't welcome here!" Vernon had snarled.

"Shut up, Muggle!"

Harry immediately stiffened. He knew that voce well. It belonged to Lucius Malfoy. There were death eaters in the house, though how they got there he didn't know. Dumbledore had told him the house was protected by blood wards.

Harry instinctively went for his wand before realizing that it was upstairs in his room. He looked around the room for something to use against the death eaters before going over to the counter and grabbing a knife. He knew it didn't stand much of a chance against a bunch of wands, but it was all he had. He would never make it upstairs to his wand before a death eater got him. The knife was his only means of protection.

Harry walked towards the living room with the knife pointed upwards. He peeked around the corner in time to see his Uncle doubling over in pain. Harry knew immediately what was causing his uncle such pain. He was very intimate with that kind of pain. It was a crucio.

The rest of the Dursleys were not fairing much better. Petunia was thrown across the room by a death eater Harry recognized as Rabastan Lestrange and Dudley was withering in pain on the floor at the mercy of two death eaters.

Harry saw no other choice. He had to save his relatives, even if they would leave him to his own fate had the tables been turned. He charged in and attacked the first death eater he could see, which happened to be Nott. He advanced on him with his knife and managed to slash his arm.

Nott screamed in pain. "The little bastard cut me!"

Harry was about to attack again when a sharp pain caught him in his scar. He immediately grabbed his forehead in agony. He was there. Voldemort was somewhere in the house

Harry didn't have to wait long to find out where Voldemort was as a silky voice was heard from behind him.

"Ah, Harry Potter, we meet again."

Harry immediately turned around to see the 'man'. Not seeing any other alternative, he went to attack Voldemort. He knew it was useless, but he wasn't going to give up without a fight.

Voldemort grabbed Harry's wrist and pulled the knife out of his hand with little effort. "Oh, Harry. Muggle weapons? That is beneath you. Don't worry, you will learn."

"W…what?" Harry asked. What was Voldemort playing at? He was going to kill him, wasn't he? Why was he talking about teaching him thing?

Voldemort brought his hand to Harry's scar and stroked it. "So fascinating."

Harry screamed out in agony. Just being around Voldemort caused pain in his scar, so you can imagine what actually touching it did.

Much to Harry's surprise, Voldemort removed his hand. "It causes you pain. Do not fret, young one. I shall find a way to take that pain away. In the meantime, however…" He trailed off and waved his wand, causing ropes to bind Harry's hands and ankles. He then turned him around so he could see the carnage that was going on and held him firmly, but not enough to hurt him, around the neck. "Look before you Harry. I know a part of you is enjoying this."

Harry watched helplessly as his relatives were tortured in front of him. He tried to struggle so that he could help them, but Voldemort's grip was tight. And even if he had managed to get away from him, he was tied up. There was nothing he could do but watch.

"Finish it!" Voldemort ordered his followers.

Harry knew what was going to happen next. Rather than watch, he closed his eyes tightly. It wasn't long before he heard the Killing Curse muttered three times and heard three thuds, indicating that his family was dead. He felt himself being tugged away.


	4. Chapter 4

Harry found himself locked in a large room. It had a large bed in the center with two end tables on either side. Across from it was a dresser with a mirror attacked. On one side there were two doors that led to a closet and a bathroom. On the other side, there was a couch and some chairs.

Harry was quite surprised to find himself in such a nice, spacious room. He expected to be brought to some kind of cell. Not that it mattered. A prison was a prison, no matter what it looked like.

Harry soon heard the door begin to unlock. He thought about charging whoever it was, but what good would that do? He had no wand. Not that a wand would matter much now. He guessed there were dozens of death eaters there waiting to stop him. He wouldn't be able to fight all of them.

When the door opened, Harry saw that it was Snape coming to see him. He immediately glared at the man. "So are you here to rescue me or are you the traitor after all?" It wouldn't surprise if Snape was a true death eater. Dumbledore might trust Snape, but he certainly did not.

"Sit down," Severus ordered.

"Get bent! We're not in school. You can't tell me what to do!" Harry said angrily.

Severus snarled and grabbed the boy by the collar of his shirt. "No, you're someplace much worse. You are at the mercy of the Dark Lord, so I suggest you cooperate. You have no idea what he will do to you," Severus said before depositing the boy on the bed. Actually, he was pretty sure the Dark Lord would do nothing to the boy. Potter was probably safer than anyone in the house. But that didn't mean Severus couldn't scare the brat into submission.

Severus took out his wand and started running diagnostic scans.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked confused.

"I'm checking for illness or injury," Severus said.

"Why? Does your master want me to be healthy when he kills me?" Harry asked snidely.

Severus ignored him and continued with the scans. He frowned at what he found. "When was the last time you ate, Potter?"

"None of your bloody business," Harry said.

Severus glared at the boy, but he didn't respond to the answer. "You're malnourished. I shall get you a potion for it. In the meantime, take this," he said before pulling a vile out of his robes and handing it to the boy.

"What is it?" Harry asked as he took it.

"It's a strong pain relief potion. It'll relieve the pain from your scar. Well, some of it anyway. It's the best I can do for the moment. The Dark Lord is looking for a permanent solution," Severus said.

Harry remembered Voldemort saying something about taking his scar pain away, but he hadn't had the time to think about it until now. Why would Voldemort care if he was in pain? He certainly didn't care about his pain when they met in the past. In fact, he seemed to take great pleasure in his pain. So what had changed? Why was Voldemort even keeping him alive.

"Take that potion soon. If you don't, the Dark Lord will find a way to you. I assure you that will be most unpleasant," Severus said before heading towards the door.

"So you are on his side then?" Harry asked.

"I am on the side which allows you to live, Potter," was all he said before walking out of the room and locking it behind him.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

After examining Potter, Severus went to the living room where the Dark Lord currently was. He immediately bowed.

"Well? Is the boy healthy?" Voldemort asked.

He is malnourished, My Lord. I shall prepare a potion for him to take," Severus said.

"Why is the child malnourished?" Voldemort asked through gritted teeth.

"I cannot say for sure, My Lord, but if I were to guess, I would say that his family did not feed him properly," Severus said. It was really the only answer he could come up with. After all, no child would refuse to eat unless he had severe mental issues.

"Muggles!" Voldemort growled. How dare those filthy muggles abuse his property? No one mistreated Lord Voldemort's things. He almost wished he hadn't allowed his death eaters to kill the muggles. He very much wished to torture them himself right now for hours.

Once more, Severus thought of laughing at the irony. A week ago, the Dark Lord would've rejoiced in Potter being treated in such a way. Now, he wanted revenge on the boy's behalf. Oh, he knew the Dark Lord didn't actually care about Potter. He was just angry about one of his possessions, as he considered Potter to be, being treated in such a way.

"You mentioned brewing him a potion," Voldemort prompted.

"Yes, a nutrition potion. He'll have to take a dose with every meal for several weeks. It also goes without saying that he'll need to eat at least three meals a day from now on. Actually, for now, he may have to eat more than that. He probably hasn't eaten properly since he left school. His stomach probably won't be able to handle a normal proportioned meal for a while. He'll just have to eat less more often until his stomach can handle more," Severus explained.

Voldemort nodded. "Work with the house elves to ensure that he gets the proper proportions. Start immediately. I want him eating something right away."

"Yes, My Lord."

"Then get started on the potion. I trust you gave him the pain reliever?" Voldemort asked.

"Yes, My Lord, but I doubt he'll most likely assume that it's poisoned and refuse to touch it," Severus said. Even with his warning, he knew the boy wouldn't take it. He was too much of a Gryffindor for that.

"I shall deal with it if it comes to that. Now, it won't be long before the old coot realizes what has happened, if he doesn't already know already. I want you to preserve your position as spy. So when you finish with the potion, you will go to him and find some way to convince him that you could not stop this from happening," Voldemort told him.

"Of course, My Lord," Severus said.

"Go," he ordered.

Severus bowed and immediately left the room.


End file.
